Monday, March 22, 2010

Once Upon a Time, There Was a Blog...

...in a land far away, called Not Born to Run.

A lot has happened since we last shared a post.

First, our long national nightmare is finally over. I have been wanting to move since, oh, forever, and have been dutifully trudging around the city looking at apartments since, well, forever. There was something not quite right with each one. Too small, too low (ceilinged), too light-challenged, too desolate, too soul-less, too college-student-y, too expensive, too scary. You name it, I saw it.

I started with quite a list of non-negotiable criteria. 1. Must have fireplace. 2. Must be on Capitol Hill. 3. Must be near Metro. 5. Must have loads of light. 6. Must have hardwood floors! 7. Kitchen not horrible! Etc.

Well, gradually I gave things up. First to go was the fireplace. Then I jettisoned the neighborhood. Much as I love Capitol Hill, I just wasn't finding what I wanted there.

I subscribed to several Craigslist RSS apartment searches in my Google reader, and checked them, oh, about 20,000 times every day. Soon, I eliminated all criteria, and ended up just looking for a place that felt like home.

I knew I would know it when I saw it, and finally, I did. A place on Wisconsin Ave., NW D.C.:

So the plan is this: Sell pretty much everything I own, clean my place within an inch of its life, and rent it out.

In ten days.

Sigh.

Running, you ask? Triathlon? Eagleman??

We'll get to that. Soon. Really.

Meanwhile, I wrote myself an e-mail with everything that's currently on my plate, to keep from losing my mind. Here's what's on it:

research and buy car (yes, old car is pretty much dying)

buy new computer (ditto, computer!)

get zero percent credit card (Done, yay!)

transfer discover credit card balance to 0 percent (can't do this til new card comes, since I lost the old card)

consulting proposal (yes, I've been approached to do some consulting! done!)

Write "10 things you can do to save the environment" one pager for my church's environment committee (done!)

call ferguson and ask where to send excess volunteers, plus ask about how/where to transport trash after cleanup (done! I am leading a cleanup of a tributary of Rock Creek for my church's environment committee)

get info in sunday flyer for cleanup (done!)

ENDLESS APT SEARCH (SO DONE!)

Get more boxes (ongoing)

Pack (started!)

Take photos of stuff I want to sell (which is pretty much everything), get on craigslist (started! you need a couch? or a daybed? Let's talk.)

Replace chandelier in dining table (John. (more on this))

Paint bedrooms (So. Not. Done.)

Clean out storage unit in richmond (I've had a storage unit for 12 years. I haven't looked at it in 12 years.)

Get new storage unit in bethesda (not started, can't think about this)

Yay, congrats on everything! I, too, just spent WAY too much time on craigslist searching for a house to rent. BLEH!

If you're looking to buy boxes, you should try usedcardboardboxes.com. They are WAY cheaper than buying new. I used them during my last move, and it worked out great... a variety of sizes and they were all in excellent shape.

totally excited/happy for you - sounds like all amazing, new stuff!!! This will not stop me from calling you an Eagleman-dropout for the rest of the year...but still very happy (and jealous!) that things are so good!

I'm so glad you are happy in your new relationship! That's wonderful. I am relocating to DC soon... if you would be willing to share some good apt complexes you found (since I am in TX and can't go check them out!) I'd really appreciate it! vickismalls at gmail dot com

Very happy to hear from you and hear that you've got your priorities straight. As 21CM said, there's no such thing as a perfect relationship. I think I would be more scared if it was too perfect, actually.

I think I was most impressed by the number of "done" things on your list. That may be more than have been done in six months. Amazing what one change of direction can do to everything else. And Mr. Boy is going to have to become a runner of he isn't already. We don't want to lose you to the couch potato set.

Jeanne, You haven't looked in your storage unit for 12 years. OMG. Jeanne. Having. Heart. Failure. You've seen my closet and you've seen how it's not really very full . . . WHY? because if I don't touch it for 6 months I GIVE IT AWAY. Open the storage unit and HAVE A GARAGE SALE. Or, rather, a storage unit sale.

Not only are you across the street from the National Cathedral, but you can sit at your kitchen table, drinking coffee and reflecting on your next blog post (HINT HINT), look out the window and SEE the National Cathedral spires. Cool!

So happy for you! Have you rented your place yet? I have a friend moving to D.C at end of August. Keep us posted! Even if you are not running, you have a lot of fans and we like to know what is going on with you.

2010 has been a great year for DC sports! Full of great plays, greater stories, and loads of young, promising talent, there is plenty to celebrate in our Nation’s Capital. Want to join the celebration? Starting yesterday, July 19th, you can log on to Sneakerball.org and vote for the Fan Choice Awards including best cheerleaders, play of the year, and more!